(a) The governing board of a school district shall employ for positions requiring certification qualifications, only persons who possess the qualifications for those positions prescribed by law. It is contrary to the public policy of this state for a person or persons charged, by the governing boards, with the responsibility of recommending persons for employment by the boards to refuse or to fail to do so for reasons of race, color, religious creed, sex, or national origin of the applicants for that employment.

(b) The governing board of a school district shall not initially hire on a permanent, temporary, or substitute basis a certificated person seeking employment in the capacity designated in his or her credential unless that person has demonstrated basic skills proficiency as provided in Section 44252.5 or is exempted from the requirement by subdivision (c), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), (i), (j), or (k).

(1) The governing board of a school district, with the authorization of the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, may administer the state basic skills proficiency test required under Sections 44252 and 44252.5.

(2) The Superintendent, in conjunction with the commission and local governing boards, shall take steps necessary to ensure the effective implementation of this subdivision.

It is the intent of the Legislature that in effectively implementing this subdivision, the governing boards of school districts shall direct superintendents of schools to prepare for emergencies by developing a pool of qualified emergency substitute teachers. This preparation shall include public notice of the test requirements and of the dates and locations of administrations of the tests. The governing board of a school district shall make special efforts to encourage individuals who are known to be qualified in other respects as substitutes to take the state basic skills proficiency test at its earliest administration.

(3) Demonstration of proficiency in reading, writing, and mathematics by a person pursuant to Section 44252 satisfies the requirements of this subdivision.

(c) A certificated person is not required to take the state basic skills proficiency examination if he or she has taken and passed it at least once, achieved a passing score on any of the tests specified in subdivision (b) of Section 44252, or possessed a credential before the enactment of the statute that made the test a requirement.

(d) This section does not require a person employed solely for purposes of teaching adults in an apprenticeship program, approved by the Apprenticeship Standards Division of the Department of Industrial Relations, to pass the state proficiency assessment instrument as a condition of employment.

(e) This section does not require the holder of a child care permit or a permit authorizing service in a development center for the handicapped to take the state basic skills proficiency test, so long as the holder of the permit is not required to have a baccalaureate degree.

(f) This section does not require the holder of a credential issued by the commission who seeks an additional credential or authorization to teach, to take the state basic skills proficiency test.

(g) This section does not require the holder of a credential to provide service in the health profession to take the state basic skills proficiency test if that person does not teach in the public schools.

(h) This section does not require the holder of a designated subjects special subjects credential to pass the state basic skills proficiency test as a condition of employment unless the requirements for the specific credential require the possession of a baccalaureate degree. The governing board of each school district, or each governing board of a consortium of school districts, or each governing board involved in a joint powers agreement, which employs the holder of a designated subjects special subjects credential shall establish its own basic skills proficiency for these credentials and shall arrange for those individuals to be assessed. The basic skills proficiency criteria established by the governing board shall be at least equivalent to the test required by the district, or in the case of a consortium or a joint powers agreement, by any of the participating districts, for graduation from high school. The governing board or boards may charge a fee to individuals being tested to cover the costs of the test, including the costs of developing, administering, and grading the test.

(i) This section does not require the holder of a preliminary or clear designated subjects career technical education teaching credential to pass the state basic skills proficiency test.

(j) This section does not require certificated personnel employed under a foreign exchange program to take the state basic skills proficiency test. The maximum period of exemption under this subdivision shall be one year.

(k) Notwithstanding any other law, a school district or county office of education may hire certificated personnel who have not taken the state basic skills proficiency test if that person has not yet been afforded the opportunity to take the test. The person shall take the test at the earliest opportunity and may remain employed by the school district pending the receipt of his or her test results.